Storm Recovery Guide
A nor’easter passes. You walk outside. You see missing shingles, a fallen tree limb, a dented gutter. The next steps you take in the first 48 hours often determine whether your insurance claim covers a partial repair or a full replacement. Here’s the playbook.
Before you do anything else — tarp, cleanup, shingle pickup — photograph everything. Wide context shots of the home from multiple angles. Close-ups of every visible damage point. Photograph fallen debris before you move it. Photograph the interior of the attic for water-staining or daylight visibility. Date-stamp matters — modern smartphones automatically include this in image metadata, which is admissible.
Insurance policies require you to take ‘reasonable steps to prevent further damage’ (the technical term is ‘duty to mitigate’). Failing to tarp a damaged roof can result in the carrier refusing to pay for interior damage that occurred after the storm. Reasonable mitigation = professional tarp installation, which is typically a separate covered expense, NOT a deduction from your claim payment. Call a roofer for the tarp; don’t climb the roof yourself.
You typically have 60+ days to file (check your policy). Don’t rush filing the same day. Give yourself 48–72 hours to: get the temporary tarp in place, get a professional roofing assessment, gather all your photos. File the claim with as much documentation as possible up front — adjusters work faster and more favorably on well-documented claims.
Keep a written log: when you called the roofer, when the tarp was installed, when you filed the claim, when the adjuster scheduled, when you received the first estimate. This log is your record if the carrier later disputes timing or causation. Save every email and text from the carrier; save the carrier’s recorded message timestamps.
Schedule the adjuster’s site visit when a professional roofer can be present. Adjusters frequently miss damage that’s not visible from the ground or from a quick ladder check — back-slope wind damage, hidden hail bruising, ridge cap loss, flashing failures. A roofer who knows the building system can flag items the adjuster would otherwise omit. This single step often increases settlement by 25–40%.
The release acknowledges you’ve been paid in full for the claim. Don’t sign it until tear-off is complete and any hidden damage has been documented and filed as supplemental. Once you sign, supplemental claims become much harder to file. We never recommend signing a release before the work is complete.
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We do this work across CT, ME, MA, NH, RI, and VT. Photo-documented assessment, written quote, lifetime workmanship warranty.
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Photo-documented assessment. Itemized quote. We’ll tell you if repair makes more sense than replacement.